Joint Action for Gender Justice: Rallies and Letter Writing for Bilkis Bano (August/September 2022)
Bilkis Bano is a survivor of gangrape and a witness to the brutal murder of 14 of her family members in the context of widespread violence in the state of Gujarat in 2002. After a long legal battle with courageous contributions from Ms. Bano, 11 men were convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for the crimes committed against her and her family. When these men were arbitrarily granted early release from prison in 2022, members of the JCoR networks in India joined many other feminist and women’s organizations and movements across the country in opposing the miscarriage of justice. They joined public demonstrations and signed and shared petitions to the Indian Supreme Court in support of a formal appeal that was filed by Ms. Bano. As shown in the photos on this page, JCoR network members in the state of Goa led a public demonstration with nearly 500 participants to stand in solidarity with Ms. Bano and all victims of sexual assault. JCoR network members in Karnataka also joined a rally in Bangalore to support Ms. Bano in August of 2022. In January 2023, JCoR members across India were able to celebrate a victory in this campaign when the Supreme Court of India decided in favor of Ms. Bano’s appeal and called for the convicted men to return to prison to resume their sentences.
Follow links below to learn more about actions taken in this case by members of the JCoR networks in India:
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- Sabrang article on signature campaign conducted by activists in Mumbai
- Open letter to the Indian Supreme Court signed by JCoR network members (May 2023)
- Letter to Chief Justice of India from activists in state of Karnataka
- Flyer for Bangalore rally (August 2022)
